The first official Term of the school year is officially over. The new term starts on Monday, November 6, and runs through December 15. Grades start fresh on Monday.

The only late work we'll accept this week is the Answers to the students' Research Questions. The projects will continue to roll forward, and the research is an essential part of the process! We already pushed the deadline for this assignment out a week. We're in the "making sense of it all" phase of things. Please check in with your student about how their Climate Change Project is going.

It was great to touch base, face to face, with many of you last week. One of the questions that frequently came up was about homework, and when you should worry. I'm doing my best to make sure the students have plenty of time (and support) AT SCHOOL to get their work done for my class. Every student is going to have some math homework. If they use their time wisely, they should be completing all of their assignments for my class AT SCHOOL.

Maizzy and I conference with every student on most of their completed assignments and give them real-time feedback for improvement. Most of them take us up on the opportunity to improve their work, and come back with edits. We do our best to stay on top of grading, and mark missing assignments on the due date, so you and your student are aware when they are falling behind.

The only time a student should have "homework" from Humanities and Communications is if they aren't getting their work done at school. Please check in with Jupiter Ed and help us hold your student accountable for their responsibilities. It's amazing how much more they care about their school work if YOU care.

We have designed and continue to refine a very rigorous, empowering middle school program. It only works if the students do the work required to learn these essential life skills: reading, writing, arithmetic, scientific inquiry, art, music, critical thinking, cooking, cleaning, yardwork, dungeons and dragons...

We're literally working to help our students build and live full, rich adult lives. It starts by helping them take on clear, accountable responsibilities.

Our middle school teaching team does our best to set a positive example of what "full, rich adult lives" look like, in action. We also spend enough time with our students to demonstrate our very real human limitations. We strike a lovely balance between academic rigor and honest humanity.